BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP Newsletter
October 18, 2000

Land Use and Transportation Issues Around the Region
___________________________________

Welcome to the electronic newsletter on smart growth issues in the
Baltimore region. See the end for more information about the Baltimore
Regional Partnership and this newsletter.

Website: www.balto-region-partners.org 

I N  T H I S  I S S U E

1. IN THE REGION: 
    *Citizens to Rally for Region Tonight; Elected Officials Expected
    *Stops on Fall Transportation "Road Show" announced
    *"Digital Valley," Greenway Envisioned for Jones Falls
    *Council Kicks off Bike and Pedestrian Planning Process
    *Event Explores Gwynns Falls Watershed Development Issues
    *Calendar of Events

2. AT THE STATE LEVEL
    *Maryland Receives International Telework Award

3. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY
    *County Proposes New Zoning for Walkable Communities
    *Calendar: Transportation Tour Stop

4. BALTIMORE CITY
    *Calendar: Transportation Tour Stop

5. BALTIMORE COUNTY
    *Calendar: Transportation Tour Stop

6. CARROLL COUNTY 
    *Master Plan Resubmitted to Commissioners
    *Calendar: Transportation Tour Stop

7. HARFORD COUNTY
    *Edgewood Plan Enthusiastically Received
    *Calendar: Transportation "Road Tour Stop

8. HOWARD COUNTY 
    *Citizens Request Changes to General Plan on Route 32
    *Calendar: Transportation Tour Stop

____________________________________

1. I N  T H E  R E G I O N

CITIZENS TO RALLY FOR REGION TONIGHT; ELECTED OFFICIALS EXPECTED

1,000 people from throughout the Baltimore region are expected to come
together at Sudbrook Magnet Middle School in Baltimore County tonight at
6:30 PM to rally for regional solutions to transportation, open space,
neighborhood, and other issues that cross jurisdictional lines.
Spearheaded by the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA), the
rally has caught the attention of several regional and state elected
officials. Governor Parris N. Glendening, Baltimore City Mayor Martin
O'Malley, Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, and Howard
County Executive James Robey are expected to attend. Citizen attendees
will push their elected officials to support regional initiatives to
preserve neighborhood open space, provide more rail mass transit operation
on weekends, promote attractive neighborhoods with a mix of housing types
and income levels, and address regional workforce development and drug
treatment issues. The rally is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Sudbrook
Magnet Middle School is located at 4300 Bedford Avenue, just inside the
Baltimore beltway between Reisterstown and Liberty Roads, and free parking
will be available. A free shuttle will also be provided from the nearby
Milford Mill Metro subway station.

For more information and a map to Sudbrook Magnet Middle School, visit
www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org and click on the "Rally" icon, or email
Matthew Weinstein, CPHA, at MatthewW@CPHAbaltimore.org. October 18 Sun
story available at
www.sunspot.net/content/news/story?section=news-maryland-sun&pagename=story&storyid=1150490213734


STOPS ON FALL TRANSPORTATION "ROAD SHOW" ANNOUNCED

The Maryland Department of Transportation has posted on its web site the
county-by-county meetings it will hold this fall to receive local feedback
on its draft 2001-2006 "Consolidated Transportation Program," or CTP.
Each fall the department drafts the document and carries out these
meetings across the state in preparation for the CTP's approval by the
Maryland General Assembly the following year. The meetings are public,
although many are scheduled during the work day and in practice are
attended primarily by officials from local government and the local
delegations to the General Assembly. The CTP forms the 6-year plan for
transportation projects across the state, and the 2002 fiscal year of the
plan will be proposed by Governor Parris N. Glendening and adopted by the
2001 General Assembly as part of the state's 2002 capital budget. From
the perspective of the Baltimore Regional Partnership, the
county-by-county nature of the "fall tour" reflects the county-by-county
nature of transportation planning in the Baltimore region and the lack of
a regional perspective. Last year the Partnership requested a regional
"stop" on the tour focused on the major projects in the CTP for the
Baltimore region, but the Department of Transportation did not schedule
such a meeting.

The "Fall Tour" meetings for the Baltimore region will be held from
October 25 through November 9 and are listed through this newsletter in
the section for each county. The full statewide schedule and directions
on finding more information is available at
www.mdot.state.md.us/community/CTPscheduleMain.shtml. For additional
information, contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org. 


"DIGITAL VALLEY," GREENWAY ENVISIONED FOR JONES FALLS

When most people in the Baltimore region think of the Jones Falls, the
first vision that comes to mind is the expressway which parallels the
waterway. A group of local residents, businesses, developers, and
government agencies has a new vision for the future of the stream which
flows through the heart of Baltimore. This coalition, which includes the
Greater Homewoon Community Corporation and Streuver Bros., Eccles and
Rouse, recently released "First Findings: A Preliminary Report on the
Jones Falls Valley." The report suggests that the stream corridor could
be "a magnet drawing residents, visitors, and businesses to its shores."
The report identifies new opportunities for walkable new development near
stops along the MTA light-rail line which runs through the valley,
opportunities to preserve undeveloped land along the stream, and the
potential for a continuous greenway along the Jones Falls. Through such
changes, the report's authors conclude, the Jones Falls corridor could
become a spine for economic development and environmental protection. 

Such development and preservation could result in changes similar to the
transformation which has come to many waterfront neighborhoods in the city
over recent years ­ creating a "Digital Valley" to complement what is
increasingly referred to as a "Digital Harbor." The "Digital Harbor" is
springing up as high-tech companies fill rehabilitated industrial
buildings along the city's waterfront and their employees choose housing
just blocks away, avoiding a traffic-plagued commute. A "Digital Valley"
could apply similar principles to historic mill buildings and the light
rail line along the Jones Falls. A final plan for the Jones Falls Valley
is anticipated in spring 2001, following three informational forums this
fall.

Information forums on the plan are scheduled for October 21, November 4,
and November 21. More detail available under "Calendar of Events" below,
contact AB Associates at 410-547-6900, or contact Adam Gordon, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.


COUNCIL KICKS OFF BIKE & PEDESTRIAN PLANNING PROCESS

On October 10, over fifty Baltimore region officials and citizens attended
the first event of a new Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) initiative
to plan for better bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the
region. The session, held at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research
and Policy, featured keynote speaker Dan Burden, from Walkable
Communities, Inc., who showed how good urban design could promote not only
cycling and walking, but also improve roadway safety and traffic
efficiency. Representatives from the Maryland Department of Planning,
State Highway Administration, and Streuver Bros., Eccles, and Rouse also
spoke during the session. After a few more preliminary sessions with
speakers to provide background on bike/ped issues, the BMC will begin a
visioning process, eventually leading to specific policy and
implementation recommendations for improving the Baltimore region's
pedestrian and bicycle transportation network.

The next meeting in this process will be held October 26, 1:30 - 5:00 PM,
with keynote speaker Chuck Flink from Greenways Incorporated. For more
information, contact Barry Bergman, Baltimore Metropolitan Council,
bbergman@baltometro.org, or Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional Partnership,
adam@balto-region-partners.org, or visit the project web site,
www.bikemap.com/plans/baltimore.htm.


EVENT EXPLORES GWYNNS FALLS WATERSHED ISSUES
Members of the Gwynns Falls Watershed Association (GFWA) from Baltimore
City and Baltimore County joined the association's Water Quality Committee
on September 27 for a discussion on the impact of growth in the Gwynns
Falls. Association President Scott Pelton welcomed Baltimore County
Councilman Kevin Kamenetz, who spoke about the county’s Urban-Rural
Demarcation Line. While protecting valuable farmland from sprawl in
northern Baltimore County, Kamenetz noted that the "URDL" line guides
development instead to areas such as Owings Mills, in the headwaters of
the Gwynns Falls. George Maurer, senior planner in the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation's Maryland office, highlighted the benefits to local streams of
well-designed transit-oriented and walkable development, which needs less
pavement for parking and roads because of the reduced need to use
automobiles for routine trips. Center for Watershed Protection’s Paul
Sturm offered everyday tips on how to reduce the impact of growth on local
streams, from better stormwater controls for new projects to using less
fertilizer on our lawns to tree planting along stream buffers.
Association Board member Michael Lester highlighted current efforts, such
as the joint effort of Baltimore County and the state Mass Transit
Administration to redevelop parking lots near the Owings Mills Metro stop
into a walkable community with residential, retail, office, and
educational space.

Gwynns Falls Atlas findings on land use in the watershed are available at
http://baltimore.umbc.edu/lter/description/working/description.htm. For
more information, contact GFWA at gfwa@willowbrooksystems.com. Follow-up
training on land-use issues for watershed association members will be held
on November 4 and 18, hosted by Save Our Streams, the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation, and the Center for Watershed Protection. For more information
on these trainings, contact Terry Cummings at tcummings@savethebay.cbf.org.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Unless otherwise noted, contact Joan Gorsuch, Baltimore Metropolitan
Council, at jgorsuch@baltometro.org for more information or to confirm.

October 18
*CPHA Rally for the Region. 6:30 PM. Sudbrook Magnet Middle School
Auditorium. For more information contact Matthew Weinstein, CPHA, at
MatthewW@CPHAbaltimore.org, or visit www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org.

October 21
*Herring Run Blues Bash to benefit the Herring Run Watershed Association,
"working for cleaner streams and parks." Tickets $20. Event includes
live music with an emphasis on blues, free beer, wine, soda and hot and
cold Hors d' oeuvres. Cameo Hall, 4711 Harford Road, 8:00 PM -12:30 AM.
Call the Watershed Assoc. office at 410-254-1577 for tickets and tables
for a group. Co-sponsored by the
Baltimore Blues Society.

October 21
*Informational forum on "First Findings: A Preliminary Report on the Jones
Falls Valley," 9:30-11:00 AM, 3800 Buena Vista Avenue (between 41st St.
and Union Avenue), Baltimore. For more information, contact AB Associates
at 410-547-6900.

October 24
*Baltimore Regional Transportation Board monthly meeting. 9:00 AM.
Baltimore Metropolitan Council offices, 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite
310, Baltimore (on Boston St. near O'Donnell St., in Canton). 

October 26
*Meeting on Baltimore region greenway and bike/pedestrian planning
process, 1:30 - 5:00 PM. Keynote speaker Chuck Flink from Greenways
Incorporated. For more information, contact Barry Bergman, Baltimore
Metropolitan Council, bbergman@baltometro.org, or visit
www.bikemap.com/plans/baltimore.htm. 

November 4
*Informational forum on "First Findings: A Preliminary Report on the Jones
Falls Valley," 9:30-11:00 AM, second floor of Roland Park Place, 830 West
40th Street, Baltimore. For more information, contact AB Associates at
410-547-6900.

*Training on land-use issues for Gwynns Falls Watershed Association
members. Hosted by Save Our Streams, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and
the Center for Watershed Protection. For more information, contact Terry
Cummings at tcummings@savethebay.cbf.org.

November 18
*Training on land-use issues for Gwynns Falls Watershed Association
members. Hosted by Save Our Streams, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and
the Center for Watershed Protection. For more information, contact Terry
Cummings at tcummings@savethebay.cbf.org.

November 20
*Baltimore Regional Transportation Board monthly meeting. 5:30 PM, BMC
offices. Elected officials are expected to attend and sit as the official
membership of the Board since new bylaws specifying their status were
approved in July.

November 21
*Informational forum on "First Findings: A Preliminary Report on the Jones
Falls Valley," 7:00-8:30 PM at The Elm, 3100 Elm Avenue, Baltimore. For
more information, contact AB Associates at 410-547-6900.

_____________________________________

2. A T  T H E  S T A T E  L E V E L

MARYLAND RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL TELEWORK AWARD

The International Telework Association and Council recently named the
Maryland Department of Transportation's Telework Partnership with
Employers (TPE) Program one of its "2000 Stars of Telework." The program,
created as part of Maryland¹s Smart Growth/Smart Transportation Program,
offers free professional consulting services to Maryland employers who
want to start telework programs for their employees. So far, the program
has helped set up 24 programs statewide. Eight of these programs have been
in the Baltimore metropolitan area with employers such as Greater
Baltimore Medical Center, Orbital Services, and the State Employees Credit
Union. Employers often see telework as a way to improve employee
satisfaction and reduce costs. Telework also helps keep cars off the
road, reducing air pollution and traffic congestion. The TPE program is
currently offering on-site briefings on the program to all interested
employers. 

For more information, or to request a briefing, contact Gil Weidenfeld,
Maryland Department of Transportation, at gweidenfeld@mdot.state.md.us, or
visit the TPE web site at www.teleworksmart-md.org.

_____________________________________

3. A N N E  A R U N D E L  C O U N T Y

COUNTY PROPOSES NEW ZONING FOR WALKABLE COMMUNITIES

Following Anne Arundel County's 1997 comprehensive plan, the county
administration and council are now working to implement through
legislation four new types of districts as new zoning categories
throughout the county in order to promote more communities where it would
be possible to walk to shop or work. The four categories, as outlined in
a draft bill to be introduced in the County Council, are Mixed-Use
Residential, Mixed-Use Commercial, Mixed-Use Employment, and Mixed-Use
Transit. Like many other mixed-use zone programs in the Baltimore region,
the four districts are optional -- meaning the landowner could either use
the mixed-use zoning or "standard" zoning. In all four districts,
however, the "standard" zoning is R-1 -- residential zoning of one unit
per acre. This new zoning is meant to provide a strong incentive to
landowners to choose the mixed-use option, thereby avoiding the problem
with many of the region's mixed-use zoning overlay districts. These
districts allow medium-density single-use construction as an alternative
to mixed-use construction, an option often chosen by landowners. 

All four districts also have both minimum and maximum percentages for
different types of uses within the zone. Residential development, for
example, must be between 50 and 80 percent of development in a Mixed-Use
Residential zone, 15 and 45 percent in a Mixed-Use Commercial zone, and 30
and 70 percent in a Mixed-Use Transit zone. The differences in percentages
reflect the belief that different types of mixed-use developments with
different primary uses are appropriate for different areas. The
legislation also sets out residential density, floor-to-area ratio (FAR),
and building height maximums for each zone, running from a 7 units/acre
maximum density in the residential mixed-use zone to 22 units/acre in the
transit mixed-use zone, a 0.5 FAR in the residential mixed-use zone to a
2.0 FAR in the transit mixed-use zone, and a 60 feet (approximately
5-story) limit in the residential mixed-use zone to a 150 feet
(approximately 12-story) limit in the transit mixed-use zone.

After public hearings on the proposed standards over the summer, the
administration and council members are now finalizing details of the bill
prior to its introduction. For more information, contact Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
adam@balto-region-partners.org.


CALENDAR: TRANSPORTATION TOUR STOP

November 6
*Md. Dept. of Transportation "Fall Tour" meeting, 3:00 PM, The Arundel
Center, Council Hearing Rm., Annapolis. For more information, see the "In
the Region" section of this newsletter, or contact George Maurer,
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at gmaurer@cbf.org, or Adam Gordon, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

_____________________________________

4. B A L T I M O R E  C I T Y

CALENDAR: TRANSPORTATION TOUR STOP

November 9
*Md. Dept. of Transportation "Fall Tour" meeting, 1:00 PM, City Hall,
Curran Conference Rm., 4th Floor. For more information, see the "In the
Region" section of this newsletter, or contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore
Regional Partnership, at danp@balto-region-partners.org.

_____________________________________

5. B A L T I M O R E  C O U N T Y

CALENDAR: TRANSPORTATION TOUR STOP 

November 2
*Md. Dept. of Transportation "Fall Tour" meeting, 10:30 AM, Old
Courthouse, County Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, Towson. For more
information, see the "In the Region" section of this newsletter, or
contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org.

_____________________________________

6. C A R R O L L  C O U N T Y

MASTER PLAN RESUBMITTED TO COMMISSIONERS 

On September 19, five months after the Carroll County Commissioners
rejected a similar document, the county planning commission unanimously
resubmitted a new master plan that closely follows its original proposal.
The primary change made, at the request of the county commissioners, was
to change the term "strategies" to "recommendations," reflecting the
nature of a master plan as a guiding document rather than binding
regulations. Still, the change is a far cry from the dramatic overhaul
originally suggested by the commissioners. In April the three-member
panel stripped the original proposed master plan down to a nine-page
outline, relegating the language on strategies and policies to an appendix
that would not be part of the formally adopted plan. The resubmitted
117-page plan appeared to reflect a compromise hammered out between the
commissioners and the planning board in a joint meeting a week before and
something of a change of heart among the commissioners. It is not clear
whether the commissioners intend to hold meetings or hearings to educate
the public on the changes to the plan, which they must approve in its
entirety. 

For more information, contact Neil Ridgely, Finksburg Planning Area
Council, at brooksbend@erols.com, or Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at danp@balto-region-partners.org. For a copy of the pending
plan, go to www.carr.org/govt/depts/index.html, scroll down to "Department
of Planning" click on "Master Plan," and then click on the mis-labeled
"Redline & Strikeout Version" of the Master Plan.

CALENDAR: TRANSPORTATION TOUR STOP

October 25
*Md. Dept. of Transportation "Fall Tour" meeting, 1:30 PM, County Office
Building, Public Hearing Rm., Rm. #003, 225 N. Center St., Westminster.
For more information, see the "In the Region" section of this newsletter,
or contact Dan Pontious, Baltimore Regional Partnership, at
danp@balto-region-partners.org.
___________________________________

7. H A R F O R D  C O U N T Y

EDGEWOOD PLAN ENTHUSIASTICALLY RECEIVED

About 200 people crowded into the auditorium of Edgewood High School on
September 20 to hear about new grants, projects, and a zoning overlay all
designed to revitalize the community of Edgewood. The crowd broke into
frequent applause during the session as several projects were announced: a
grant of $195,000 from Maryland's Smart Growth transit program to convert
the former Edgewood post office to a MARC rail station, a Maryland Mass
Transit Administration grant for streetscaping around the station and the
Edgewood Farmers' Market, and a State Highway streetscaping project along
Edgewood's main street, MD 755. Joan Morrissey Ward, Edgewood
Revitalization Manger in the Harford County Department of Planning and
Zoning, presented the Edgewood Zoning Overlay District, designed to enable
Edgewood to redevelop its main street into a town-like corridor lined with
small businesses and apartments. Such zoning would provide more small
shops within walking distance of residential neighborhoods, and
encouraging alternative modes of transportation. The zoning overlay
implements the land use objectives set out in the Edgewood Community Plan,
a document developed through an extensive community involvement process.
County officials intended to introduce the zoning overlay legislation in
the Harford County Council on October 17. 

One major component of the Edgewood Community Plan, the redevelopment of
the Washington Court site, now appears poised to move forward relatively
quickly. The site, located in the heart of Edgewood, formerly served as
housing for the nearby Aberdeen Proving Ground. The General Services
Administration has offered Harford County the opportunity to purchase the
site, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development is currently
finalizing a loan to the County to enable to purchase to move forward.
Once the County acquires the property, it plans to issue a request for
proposals to develop the site into a mixed-use center of high-quality
office space and retail shops built at a scale accessible to pedestrians. 

For more information, contact Joan Morrissey Ward, Harford County
Department of Planning and Zoning, at jmward@co.ha.md.us, or Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.


CALENDAR: TRANSPORTATION TOUR STOP

November 2 
*Md. Dept. of Transportation "Fall Tour" meeting, 2:00 PM, Harford County
Council Chambers, 212 S. Bond St., Bel Air. For more information, see the
"In the Region" section of this newsletter, or contact Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

______________________________________________

8. H O W A R D  C O U N T Y

CITIZENS REQUEST CHANGES TO GENERAL PLAN ON ROUTE 32

At the September 18 hearing on Howard County's proposed 2000 General Plan,
the County Council heard from several citizens and organizations concerned
about plans to widen Maryland Route 32 from Route 108 to I-70. Citizens
from groups including Citizens' Alliance for Rural Preservation, River
Hill Community Association, Howard County Citizens Association, Vision
Howard County, and the Howard County chapter of the Sierra Club urged the
council to change wording in the plan which encourages the county to work
with the state to add capacity to this stretch of Route 32. Citizens
instead urged the County Council to amend the plan to state clearly that
the primary concerns for this stretch of Route 32 should be safety, rather
adding capacity that could draw more commuters to the road from Carroll
and Frederick Counties. The council, originally scheduled to vote on the
General Plan on October 2, voted to postpone the vote by a month to work
on potential changes to the plan's language on Route 32 and other
amendments to the plan. The council will now vote on amendments and the
plan itself on Monday, November 6.

For more information, contact Debbie Izzi, Citizens Alliance for Rural
Preservation, at Izzcool@aol.com, or Adam Gordon, Baltimore Regional
Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

CALENDAR: TRANSPORTATION TOUR STOP

October 26
*Md. Dept. of Transportation "Fall Tour" meeting, 7:00 PM, George Howard
Bldg., Banneker Hearing Rm., Ellicott City. For more information, see the
"In the Region" section of this newsletter, or contact Adam Gordon,
Baltimore Regional Partnership, at adam@balto-region-partners.org.

______________________________________________

ABOUT THE BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP AND NEWSLETTER

The Baltimore Regional Partnership is an alliance of five civic,
environmental, and anti-sprawl groups: 1000 Friends of Maryland
(www.friendsofmd.org), Baltimore Urban League (www.bul.org), Chesapeake
Bay Foundation (www.savethebay.cbf.org), Citizens Planning and Housing
Association (www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org), and Environmental Defense
(www.environmentaldefense.org).

This newsletter explores current issues, recent and upcoming events, and
ongoing deliberations that affect the region's quality of life through
transportation, economic development, and land use policy and planning.

We hope to link citizens in the region who are working to fight sprawl,
promote clean and efficient transportation, protect valuable farm and
forest lands, and revitalize urban areas, older suburbs, and historic
towns.

Has this newsletter been forwarded to you, and you would like to receive
it yourself? Visit our web site at www.balto-region-partners.org/news.htm
to sign up and to view past issues.

Send us information, too. Let us know about your work on land use and
transportation decisions that are affecting the Baltimore region.

Email information to Dan Pontious at danp@balto-region-partners.org.
Visit the Baltimore Regional Partnership website at:
www.balto-region-partners.org.